lol...how on earth did the players negotiation contracts in "bad faith"?

Bad faith would be not intending to honor the contract. But everybody and their brother knew the contracts were subject to the CBA. It's 100% legal and entirely over the table. And when the players saw half the league writing checks with red ink and no other major sports league offering more than 50% of revenues, they knew the NHL would be coming after them. Deal with it. There's nothing unconscionable, and certainly nothing legally shady about what they're doing.

Again, arguing the owners should have restrained themselves is just fairy tale talk. Owners have three options:

- Set a self-imposed budget alone, in which case you lose your star players and become a feeder team as your opponents take advantage of you.

- Set a self-imposed budget in cooperation with your neighbors - OOPS! Collusion. Go to jail.

- Set a league-wide budget the LEGAL way, by doing exactly what they're doing.